Our temp limits are a bit lower as well now that the Blast has heated grips. I really should get around to putting them on the 1125R, but they'll be mostly useless except on the highway because I don't have the spare power budget for them in the stator output at lower RPM.

File comment: After my Dalton Highway to Prudhoe Bay ride. The mud is a calcium slurry they use on the road since it compacts well. Turns into a terrifyingly slick slime though when wet. The picture doesn't do justice to the amount of grime packed onto this bike, or how tough to stuff is to get off - it sets up when dry.2012-Dalton.jpg [ 792.73 KiB | Viewed 3092 times ]

File comment: Washed and waxed her this weekend since the paint was dull and some residual road grime was still there. Much better now.2013SpringFront.jpg [ 490.65 KiB | Viewed 3092 times ]

So this morning I finally got to ride in to work again (only the 5th time this year). Everything seemed fine and I didn't notice anything weird with the bike. At the end of the work day at around 5:30-6pm, I walked out to my bike and I noticed that the rear tire looks quite low on pressure. "Hrm, that's weird," I said to myself. I put the bike on the center stand and in neutral so I could inspect the tire thinking I might have gotten a puncture on the way to work. I spun the tire around a few times and didn't notice anything. However, it was very soft. I could easily push down on the tire with my thumbs and the tire would flex. That's not good.

There's a gas station less than half a mile down the road, so I rode the bike there to fill up the tire. I figured maybe if I filled it up high enough I'd be able to ride it home without any issues, then deal with it later. I got to the gas station and checked the tire pressure. It's at 7 PSI. WTF??? I attempted to add air from the compressor, and just as I get the nozzle onto the valve stem, a huge release of air occurred. The rubber surrounding the metal core of the valve stem just separated from the rim. The rubber looked as if it was completely weathered and old. It was cracked, dry, weathered, etc. Seriously, WTF? After that sudden release of pressure, the tire deflated completely and the bike just lowered. Now I am 20 miles from home with no way to get home.

I went inside the gas station and called up Progressive Insurance roadside assistance to get a tow. By this time it's around 6:30pm. I talked to a guy named Justin and he set up a tow truck for me to take it to my shop. He said he'd text me the info about the tow truck after we hang up. Unfortunately, right after we hang up, my iPhone died. It supposedly had over 50% battery left, but it just died and I could not turn it on anymore. This has happened several times in the past few days, so I think it might be time to get a new phone. I borrowed a phone from the lady behind the counter at the gas station and called Progressive back to tell them that my phone died and to get the info on the tow truck. He said it'd be about 30 minutes.

After that, I call up my shop. They are closed, but the mechanic is still there and answered the phone. He told me they are closed and that I should have the tow truck driver take me and the bike home because I cannot leave it outside their shop overnight. They will not be held liable if it gets stolen. Understandable. He suggested that after I get it home, I can just pull the wheel and take the wheel into the shop. Makes sense. I figured when the tow truck arrives I'll just tell him to make me and my bike home.

At about 7pm, the tow truck still hasn't arrived, so I keep on waiting figuring their ETA was wrong. Eventually I called Progressive back and ask what happened. They said there was a mix up with the tow truck and managed to get me conferenced in with the driver. He's in the town I live in 20 miles away and said sorry for the confusion. He knew that my shop was closed, but they couldn't get a hold of me so he never came. After I told them I'm still waiting, he said he'd be right over. That was at around 7:30. He finally arrived at 8pm.

I finally get home with my bike at 9pm. He unloaded the bike, put it on the center stand, did the paper work, and left. After that, I took all my luggage off, put the cover on it, and went inside where I plugged in my phone. I finally get the text message with the tow truck info as well as several voicemails from Progressive. One of the messages from ~7pm says that the shop is closed and the truck has my motorcycle and that they can store it at their secure location. Really? You mean they magically have my motorcycle while I'm looking right at it through the gas station window?

Ugh... what a night. Anyway, me and my bike are home now. I'm now worried that the tire is damaged form having all that weight of the bike on it flexing the sidewalls for such a long time (I could not manage to get it on the center stand at the gas station). Is my tire toast, will I have to get a new one? I'm also really curious as to how the rubber valve stem just seemed to disintegrate. Anybody experience this before? What would cause that. I mean, I have had the bike parked outside all winter, but I should do that. I've never had that happen on my other bike or my car. My shop installed this tire about 3000 miles ago. Do I have any sort of grounds for a workmanship claim against them if I need a new tire?

I wouldn't worry about your tire; a few hours of resting deflated aren't going to delaminate anything.

I am a bit surprised about your valve stem. I've only seen that sort of thing once or twice before. Likely you just got a defective part that didn't have adequate plasticizers from the factory, and there's nothing you could have done to prevent it.

I wouldn't worry about your tire; a few hours of resting deflated aren't going to delaminate anything.

It's not going to cause an issue with the structural integrity of the sidewalls, is it? I thought most of the layers are in the tread of the tire, not the sidewalls.

Quote:

I am a bit surprised about your valve stem. I've only seen that sort of thing once or twice before. Likely you just got a defective part that didn't have adequate plasticizers from the factory, and there's nothing you could have done to prevent it.

I figured it must have been some defective part. That's why I'm wondering if I can make some sort of claim against the shop.

You did get a new valve stem at the last tire change, right? If you still have the reciept I'd look and see if they charged you for it. If you did and they charged you for it, I would definately bitch.

I wouldn't worry about your tire; a few hours of resting deflated aren't going to delaminate anything.

It's not going to cause an issue with the structural integrity of the sidewalls, is it? I thought most of the layers are in the tread of the tire, not the sidewalls.

Quote:

I am a bit surprised about your valve stem. I've only seen that sort of thing once or twice before. Likely you just got a defective part that didn't have adequate plasticizers from the factory, and there's nothing you could have done to prevent it.

I figured it must have been some defective part. That's why I'm wondering if I can make some sort of claim against the shop.

Motorcycle tires are strong across both sidewall and meat of the tire. As long as you weren't riding on it while it was deflated, I wouldn't worry about it. Moto tires have to be overbuilt compared to car tires because of the highly-variable loading pattern.

(As a side note, this is Yet Another Reason™ those dumbasses who run car tires on their cruisers are exactly that.)

Regarding the valve stem, if you were a customer at my shop and had replaced the tire within the last year, I'd give you a new stem & install it free of charge, because stems should not fail like that. Other shops may have different policies, but I'd be genuinely surprised if they didn't comp this one for you.

It was a brand new tire mounted last October. The receipt doesn't mention a new stem, but they did charge me $65 labor to remove and replace the wheel. They charge less of you bring in just the wheel, but I was getting my 16000 mile service done at the same time. I don't know if they reuse old stems or replace them everytime.

Unfortunately I do not have the time this week to pull the wheel until Sunday unless it's a really simple thing to do in less than an hour of remaining sunlight after work. It'll probably take me longer since I've never done it before.

I'd just bring them the stem along with the wheel. I'm guessing one of two things happened:

1. They didn't change the valve stem with the tire2. The valve stem was bad (they probably couldn't tell this when it was installed)

Either way, just have them put a new one on.

For you guys who refuse to wrench on your bikes, think about what you would do if this had happened while you were on a trip in another state. Where would you get the bike towed? Where would you stay while waiting for the shop to open? What if it was a Sunday night and the shop didn't open until Tuesday? What happened to shannim could happen to anybody regardless of make, model, or age of your bike.

It's always good to know what your plan is.

I think if that had happened to me, I'd look for the nearest Cycle Gear or Harley dealership and get towed there. Both tend to be open 7 days a week and can do tire changes. That story is also telling me I need to carry tire irons, a valve stem, and a little packet of rubber cement just in case.

Yeah, the closest Cycle Gear is in Allentown, PA, over 114 miles away. There is a Harley dealer about 30 miles away (further than home) and the don't work on Japanese bikes. When I was shopping around for tires and installation, they said they wouldn't touch my bike.

Attached are two pictures of the valve stem that I took this morning (it's still attached to the wheel). I couldn't get a clear view of it last night since it was dusk. The rubber doesn't look as bad as I described earlier, but it was clearly a failure of the material.

Regarding having a plan, I added towing to my motorcycle insurance a few years ago, since it includes rental car and hotel room on top of the actual towing. I'll still use the AMA towing if I don't need those things, but have the option for $7 a year if I do. I also carry the BMW Anonymous book (when I remember it, anyway), which has contact info for people all over the country who have shop space and tools available. Depending on the problem, and your own ability, a small, independent auto mechanic might be your best bet. As long as you've got all the tools unique to your bike on you, they should have everything else you need and are often friendly and far more flexible than dealers.

And if I were to break down on a block with a knitting shop, a Thai restaurant, a record store and a Harley-Davidson dealer, guess which would be the last place I would go for help? There's only so many times you can hear that slow, smug, "We only work on Harley-Davidson motorcycles," crap before you just write them all off. I've had a Kawasaki dealer call in one of their techs on his day off to help find a short (and he was happy to help someone out of a jam). BMW dealers have a bike on the lift to change a tire before you can get your helmet off. I've never gotten eye contact at a Harley shop. I know they're not all that way, but I haven't found a good one yet, so I'm not really motivated to keep looking.

For you guys who refuse to wrench on your bikes, think about what you would do if this had happened while you were on a trip in another state. Where would you get the bike towed? Where would you stay while waiting for the shop to open? What if it was a Sunday night and the shop didn't open until Tuesday? What happened to shannim could happen to anybody regardless of make, model, or age of your bike.

Same here. I haven't seen a rubber valve stem in ages. Definitely get it replaced with a metal one.

Cranioclast wrote:

Depending on the problem, and your own ability, a small, independent auto mechanic might be your best bet. As long as you've got all the tools unique to your bike on you, they should have everything else you need and are often friendly and far more flexible than dealers.

Will they have the tools to pop the tire off? I'm not familiar enough with the difference between car and motorcycle tire changers. I suppose they're closer now that most cars have 17" tires or so.

Cranioclast wrote:

There's only so many times you can hear that slow, smug, "We only work on Harley-Davidson motorcycles," crap before you just write them all off. I've had a Kawasaki dealer call in one of their techs on his day off to help find a short (and he was happy to help someone out of a jam). BMW dealers have a bike on the lift to change a tire before you can get your helmet off. I've never gotten eye contact at a Harley shop. I know they're not all that way, but I haven't found a good one yet, so I'm not really motivated to keep looking.

My favorite "We really don't want your kind around here" from a Harley dealership is still me asking for a price on a rear Dunlop Q2 for the 1125R, and them eventually working up a quote for a front Corsa III (the stock tire). In addition to the price for one front tire, installed, being about the same I paid for both tires and installation, the excuse for the completely wrong quote was, "Sorry, busy day, haven't had a lunch break... no time for drugs, 'ya know?" Albuquerque Thunderbird Harley Davidson never touched one of my bikes again...

Santa Fe Buell is quite good, and I'm fairly certain they'd work on anything if needed. Just go in the back so you hit the service guys first and not through the front door.

Otherwise... yeah, I'm done with the list. It's rare to find motorcyclists working at Harley dealerships - much more common to find bikers. Santa Fe was the weird one, but they also did stuff like sponsor track days, and half their employees would rent out tracks on their Mondays to go ride. So not really a normal Harley dealership. The Buell culture ran deep there. The fact that northern New Mexico is really nothing but squiggling mountain roads may have something to do with it as well.

I'm thinking a metal valve stem is definitely a good idea. Maybe a 90-degree one. Because the valve stem is so close to the spoke, I suppose it is possible the rubber was fatigued over the years from being bent slightly each time the pressure was checked or air added. That is assuming it was the original valve stem. I've only had the bike for just under a year and the tire is only 6 months old. I really hope I didn't do any damage to the tire itself riding into work in the morning, riding the 0.5 miles to the gas station at only 7 psi, or with it sitting on a deflated tire for a few hours.

For you guys who refuse to wrench on your bikes, think about what you would do if this had happened while you were on a trip in another state. Where would you get the bike towed? Where would you stay while waiting for the shop to open? What if it was a Sunday night and the shop didn't open until Tuesday? What happened to shannim could happen to anybody regardless of make, model, or age of your bike.

Depending on the problem, and your own ability, a small, independent auto mechanic might be your best bet. As long as you've got all the tools unique to your bike on you, they should have everything else you need and are often friendly and far more flexible than dealers.

Will they have the tools to pop the tire off? I'm not familiar enough with the difference between car and motorcycle tire changers. I suppose they're closer now that most cars have 17" tires or so.

I know my friend with the auto shop got some adapters to work with motorcycle tires on his equipment. I feel like that was just for the balancer, though. The changer just has adjustable blocks to hold the rim. I'm not sure what would be different from a car to bike rim. You can get a tubeless tire off with just a couple C-clamps and levers, though. And an auto shop is going to have proper, long tire irons, as opposed to the little levers you'd carry on your bike, so that would make it a much easier job. You might want to throw some rim protectors in your toolkit, though.

I've stopped at small car and tractor places to bend a brake pedal back in place on a Versys, change a tube on my KLR, find a replacement bolt that vibrated out of my KLR... Hmm. Maybe this advice only applies to abused Kawasakis.

I'm thinking a metal valve stem is definitely a good idea. Maybe a 90-degree one. Because the valve stem is so close to the spoke, I suppose it is possible the rubber was fatigued over the years from being bent slightly each time the pressure was checked or air added. That is assuming it was the original valve stem. I've only had the bike for just under a year and the tire is only 6 months old. I really hope I didn't do any damage to the tire itself riding into work in the morning, riding the 0.5 miles to the gas station at only 7 psi, or with it sitting on a deflated tire for a few hours.

A 90 degree stem would be nice. I should look into those next time I have a tire replaced - some of the stems are hard to get at with a bicycle pump. That type of stress could certainly do it over time.

Don't worry about the tire. It's fine. Have you seen what happens to a motorcycle tire on a track day? They can take some serious abuse.

Cranioclast wrote:

I've stopped at small car and tractor places to bend a brake pedal back in place on a Versys, change a tube on my KLR, find a replacement bolt that vibrated out of my KLR... Hmm. Maybe this advice only applies to abused Kawasakis.

So... can anybody recommend me a good metal valve stem and where to procure one? I suppose I should buy two and save the other for when I get my front tire replaced eventually. Or should I just get one from the shop? Speaking of which, I'm wondering if I should change shops now... the one I go to isn't very convenient to get to and seems to charge me more than they charge my friend (then again, he did buy his bike from them).

Also, anybody know how to remove a rear wheel from a 2007 FZ6? Can it be done without moving the alignment/slack adjusting nuts?

Yeah, but then I'd have to get the bike towed to the shop. And if they don't comp me, it'll cost nearly twice as much, etc. Plus, I would like to learn for my own edification. I've already done all the electrical work on the bike, I might as learn the mechanical stuff too. And while I'm at it, I could inspect the front sprocket and see if my sprockets and chain need replacing (the rear sprocket looks fine).

Also, anybody know how to remove a rear wheel from a 2007 FZ6? Can it be done without moving the alignment/slack adjusting nuts?

I Imagine you have removable axle blocks, so you just need to pull the axle (loosen the nut on the sidestand, then put it on the centerstand to pull the axle), remove the blocks, shove the wheel forward until you have enough slack to pull that chain off the sprocket... That's it. You may need to remove your brake caliper, too, but it's usually not necessary. Just remember to not touch your brake pedal once the disc is out!

Also, anybody know how to remove a rear wheel from a 2007 FZ6? Can it be done without moving the alignment/slack adjusting nuts?

I Imagine you have removable axle blocks, so you just need to pull the axle (loosen the nut on the sidestand, then put it on the centerstand to pull the axle), remove the blocks, shove the wheel forward until you have enough slack to pull that chain off the sprocket... That's it. You may need to remove your brake caliper, too, but it's usually not necessary. Just remember to not touch your brake pedal once the disc is out!

Yeah, pretty much this.

It's worth learning how to do it, ideally with the toolkit on your bike. Pulling a wheel is a common roadside thing, so you can get a tire installed or whatever. It's not hard, but it can be a little finnicky on the reinstall since you have to get things aligned just right.

I was worried about it the first time I pulled the rear wheel on my Versys, but now it's not really any more difficult than adjusting my chain.

Edit: One reason why it's a good roadside thing to learn--any tire shop can fix your tire, but they may not know how to remove the wheel. Plus you can do fun things on trips like pulling your wheel and riding on the back of a buddy's bike while carrying it to the next town to get it fixed, then back to reinstall on the bike.

Also, anybody know how to remove a rear wheel from a 2007 FZ6? Can it be done without moving the alignment/slack adjusting nuts?

I Imagine you have removable axle blocks, so you just need to pull the axle (loosen the nut on the sidestand, then put it on the centerstand to pull the axle), remove the blocks, shove the wheel forward until you have enough slack to pull that chain off the sprocket... That's it. You may need to remove your brake caliper, too, but it's usually not necessary. Just remember to not touch your brake pedal once the disc is out!

The rear wheel/axle looks like this. Only mine is dirtier.

Also, a 90-degree valve stem would be great for the front wheel. It's a pain in the ass to get to with the two rotors in the way.

These have the locking nut on the inside of the tire. After doing some cursory research, it seems like it's preferred to have the locking nut on the outside so you can periodically tighten if needed without having to remove the tire from the wheel each time. However, that only applies if it's a straight valve stem. There are no angled valve stems that I can find that have the locking nut on the outside since they need to be installed from the outside in (straight ones can be installed inside out).

Unless it's a Harley-Davidson dealer in West Virginia. They will absolutely refuse to do it, while their mechanic sits in the background and chuckles.

It's for your own safety. Those plastic Japanese crotch rockets will kill you dead sooner than you can blink. They go 160mph everywhere. In summary, no, I will not fix your Buell. Who makes that anyway?

Now, if you want to upgrade from that toy to a real motorcycle, we can help with that!

And if I were to break down on a block with a knitting shop, a Thai restaurant, a record store and a Harley-Davidson dealer, guess which would be the last place I would go for help? There's only so many times you can hear that slow, smug, "We only work on Harley-Davidson motorcycles," crap before you just write them all off. I've had a Kawasaki dealer call in one of their techs on his day off to help find a short (and he was happy to help someone out of a jam). BMW dealers have a bike on the lift to change a tire before you can get your helmet off. I've never gotten eye contact at a Harley shop. I know they're not all that way, but I haven't found a good one yet, so I'm not really motivated to keep looking.

God, I wish I could get that kind of service. Our Harley dealer is also the BMW dealer in Fairbanks. I don't know why they even bothered picking up the BMW license because they don't care at all about their BMW customers. I have been the first to arrive at 7AM having made an appointment for my G650, and had two Harleys come in after me. Guess which bike got left outside the entire day, missing the appointment? My BMW. This happened 3 different times. I ended up contacting the Corporate BMW office because of it.

So yeah, I despise Harley dealers now, and I will NEVER buy a Harley, BMW, Honda, or Polaris from this dealer EVER again.

It's for your own good. Don't you realize how much you're hurting the resale value on your investment by riding it so much? All the BMW riders are stupid like that. They buy an expensive motorcycle and then put so many miles on it their resale value goes down insanely fast. They'd be so much smarter to ride less and preserve the value of their bike.

I mean, what kind of nut rides more than a few thousand miles a year? You'd have to ride in the rain, which gets your chrome dirty, or in the sun, which makes for terrible sunburn on your arms & head. Geez.

Yah, just as I'm sure not all the H-D dealers are run by cretins, not all BMW dealers are going to be the greatest, either. Although, for normal service appointments like you're talking about, I haven't had any spectacular experiences with any kind of dealer. They all seem to be a bit slow and disorganized. It's when you're stranded far from home that BMW dealers, especially, seem to be ready to drop everything to get you moving again. I've had the same experience in Indianapolis, Pittsburgh and from Max's in New York. I think they just appreciate people riding their bikes like they're supposed to be ridden.

Off the Harley hate, nobody is remotely interested in that F4i I posted about?

Missed it. Link to the post or ad?

I'm regretting buying as old of a bike as I did. The bike itself works great, but part/farkle support is waning (at best). I'm tempted to try moving it and buy something of a newer vintage.

It was on the last page but not really an ad, my buddy needs to sell it to pay for college . It's a Blue 06 F4i with low miles (I need to verify exact mileage with him). Never been in an accident or dropped. $3k.

I just read my manual. Looks like taking the rear wheel off won't be too hard, though it does require loosening the chain adjustment nuts. So in order to keep everything aligned, I just need to make sure I turn each nut an equal number of rotations on both sides, correct?